❝How many times will you shit on watch you're given?❞

THE NEW GREENIE WAS NO OLDER THAT THIRTEEN. Iris felt awful when he came up because he looked so confused and terrified, and he even klunked his pants. She threw a rock at Jem and Gally when they laughed, which promptly shut them up. The new kid was escorted to the Pit so that he could have a little bit to calm down so that he did not flip out on all of them. He did not seem like the type to, but they had to be sure.

So, that left the job of clearing the Box to the rest of them. They had to get all of the supplies out before it went down again. Iris grinned when she saw two huge crates full of medical supplies including bandages, splints, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and some serums and ointments that were labeled only with the ailment that they were supposed to heal.

She immediately grabbed one of the boxes and turned around to carry it to the Med-jack Hut when she ran into someone. It felt like she ran into a shucking brick wall, but when she looked up, she realized that it was just Jem. She expected him to move out of the way once he noticed that she was trying to get through, but then again, she could never expect Jem to do the nice thing. "Can you move?"

"Make me," he responded with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes, wondering why the hell he had to be so difficult and annoying. She had not even done anything to him that day. She was merely just trying to get the supplies out of the Box and go on to do her job. "You're a slinthead."

"So I've been told," he responded because she had mentioned that fact many times. She glanced over to Jeff or Clint for help because they were the only other ones helping other than Gally and Jem. However, they were deeply engaged in some conversation while they passed crates off to Winston and some Builders.

"Now, are you going to move, or what? Because I kind of have things I need to do." She really was not in the mood for him to be like that, and he was not being productive by just standing there and blocking her path. He finally offered a tight smile and stepped out of the way, making an over dramatic gesture for her to pass. "Thank you."

When she came back to get another box of supplies to deliver somewhere, she noticed Jem struggling to push this huge crate of fruit down the grass. She stopped right in front of him and tilted her head slightly, crossing her arms. He groaned when he realized that she was there.

"A little help here?" he asked, and she was honestly shocked that he did not just run her over witth the crate. He must be sick or something because Jem would never willingly ask for her help and admit that he needed a girl to assist him.

Instead of leaning down and helping him, she walked a couple more steps before slamming the end of her boot into the crate so that it tipped over. Apples and oranges went rolling across the grass, and when he shot her a 'seriously' look, she just shrugged. "Whoops."

《 ✢ 》

IRIS WAS HANGING OUT AT THE KEEPER'S TABLE AT DINNER THAT NIGHT. She was sitting at the end of the table and conversing with Newt while Jem sat a few tables away with Gally, who usually sat with his friend instead of the other Keepers. He was telling Jem about something, but the Slicer boy was too busy watching the blonde girl converse with Newt across the room.

They were talking about the new kid, who had finally remembered that his name was Chuck. He had stuttered it out when someone went to go check on him, but that was the only word he had said ever since he arrived. "How's he doing?"

"The poor kid is still all shaken up," he answered. They had been unable to get the kid out of the Pit and decided to just leave him there and bring him some food after the rest of them were done eating. Newt also mentioned that he wanted her to take a look at him and make sure that there was nothing seriously wrong with him and that he was just scared. "I don't know if we're going to be able to start training tomorrow."

"What about the bonfire?" she questioned. The bonfire was her favorite night of the month, and that applied to most of the people in the Glade. It was the one night where they could kick back and relax and just enjoy each other's company for a little bit. It was a night off from curfew and waking up every time a Griever or the Walls made a sound.

"Oh, that is still on," he informed her because there were a couple of people that might kill him and Alby if the Bonfire was canceled or even delayed. "I think that canceling that might cause an uprising since it's the only night that we get to relax."

She raised her eyebrows, swinging her legs slightly as she swallowed a bite of food before quizzing, "Are you going to be able to get him to talk to us before then?"

"That's the goal," he responded. They had to at least get him out of the Pit and to the Bonfire. If not, then Alby would probably not even agree to holding the party because it had no point. Alby was big on not doing anything that did not have a point. The Bonfire was supposed to welcome the new Greenie, but if the Greenie was not there, then there was no one to welcome. "Can you talk to him after dinner, maybe bring him some food?"

"Yeah, you got it. What do you think he's gonna do for work?" she questioned. The kid might be stuck in the Pit forever, but they needed a plan for him in case he got out.

He shrugged, and it was clear that he had had too much on his mind to even think about that. Alby might be in charge, but it seemed like Newt did a lot of the actual work around there. "I don't know. Think he could be a Med-jack?"

"I feel like he would faint at the sight of blood," she responded, trying to picture the kid if someone came in with their hand almost falling off. It had happened before, and Jeff almost had a heart attack. She hated to think what would happen to the kid in that situation.

"You're right. That means that Slicer's out too. He's not strong enough to be a Builder, and I don't think he had the guts to be a Runner." He finished the last bite of his food and leaned back in his chair, wiping his hands on the napkin. "He'll probably be stuck in the gardens with me."

She smiled slightly. Chuck was going to need something peaceful and not too violent, so Gardening seemed perfect. "I think he'll enjoy that, actually. It's a good job for new people, kids especially. Plus, you can help him ease in and everything."

"I guess you're right," he responded. He did not seem too pleased with having another kid to train, but there were plenty of Gardeners that could help him out and make sure that Chuck did not get a plant bed thrown on top of him on the first day.

She smiled as she took a bite of her apple. "I always am."

"I know of a certain someone who would disagree with that," he commented, and that was the first time that she had seen Newt be sassy in a while.

She knew exactly who he was talking about immediately by the tone of his voice. She rolled her eyes because even the indirect mention of him made her blood boil. "Oh, my God."

"He's looking at us right now," he informed her, and she just looked over to see Jem staring right at her from where he was sitting. Gally was talking to him, but he did not seem to be paying him any attention. He whipped his head around to look the other way when he realized that he had been caught.

She scoffed, shaking her head and turning back to Newt who was chuckling at her. "He's an ass."

"He's nice to me," he pointed out. He was right. Jem got along great with every single other person in the Glader. Well, most of them. There was always someone that did not like you. However, he seemed to be especially awful toward Iris, and she had noticed that.

She glared at him before going back to her apple. "Whatever."

"Dude, your obsession is getting creepy," Gally informed his best friend when he noticed him staring at Iris for the fifth time that meal.

"What obsession?" he responded, shaking his head and trying to play it off like he was getting something out of his eye. He allowed his eyes to wander once more to the blonde girl as she stood up with Newt and took her plate back to the kitchen before grabbing another plate from Frypan and heading out of the Hall. She was probably bringing food to the Greenie. He looked back down at his plate. "There's no obsession."